Practice Safety During a Roadside Breakdown

When your vehicle breaks down on the side of the road, it is so easy to become stressed knowing that your time and money is quickly going down the drain. Not only will you have to wait for help to arrive, but fleets will need to come out to help you, resulting in production losses for both parties. All of the stress of experiencing a breakdown, can cause you to panic and possibly create an unsafe environment for you and everyone around.

Safety Tips to Remember After a Roadside Breakdown

While there are many things to remember when you’re stuck on the side of the road waiting for assistance to arrive, there are a few things to keep in mind so that you and other drivers on the road are kept safe.

Issues with the Vehicle? Pull Over Immediately!

Once you begin feeling that your car may be experiencing a breakdown, turn on your hazard lights and start pulling over to get off the road. You want to get to the shoulder lane or to an open area. This will let the drivers around you know that they need to slow down. When you are off to the side, your roadside assistance will have a much easier and faster time getting to you as they steer clear of traffic.

Make sure drivers can see you

When your vehicle breaks down during the nighttime hours, it can become increasingly difficult to see you. You want to make sure that drivers won’t have trouble spotting you and your vehicle. Be sure to keep your hazards on, place red warning triangles two car lengths behind your car to alert drivers to slow down (if you feel it’s safe to do so), and raise your hood if possible.

Call for help

Once you are in a safe position, pick up your phone and call for roadside assistance. Be sure to provide a detailed location of where you are located so the technicians can locate you quickly. You will also need your policy information and contact information handy for the dispatcher. If the temperatures are severe, you should always contact 911 prior to calling roadside assistance because your health comes first.

A couple of other things to remember as you are waiting for help to arrive is to steer clear of the road. Although your vehicle is parked and pulled to the side, you still want to exit your vehicle if possible and stand behind a barrier or as far away from the road. Traffic can be moving fast and it only takes a split second for a driver who may not be paying attention to hit your vehicle. Be cautious of your surroundings and don’t try to make any repairs on your own – wait for an expert to arrive.

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